Switch-lock



(No Model.)

J. A. MGNIGHT. SWITCH LOOK.

N0. 425.952. Patented Apr. 15, 1890.

hom (1MM J www UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN ALLAN MCNIGIIT, OF BERKLIEY, VIRGINIA.

SWITCH-LOC K.

SPECIFICATION' forming part of Letters Patent No. 425,952, dated April 15, 1890.

Application filed May 17, 1889.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JoHN ALLAN MeNioHr, a citizen of Great Britain, residing at Berkley, in the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switch-Locks; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reiferenee being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which forni a part of this specification.

My invention relates to railroads, and its object is to provide a simple and efficient lock for the movable rails of a switch. lleretofore various devices have been employed for this purpose, such as a bolt passing transversely through one or the other of two holes in the bar uniting the points of the switch. This requires an operating mechanism independent of that which throws the switch. My invention, however, while it constitutes an absolute and rigid lock for the switch, can yet be applied directly to a connecting the points and be operated by the same rod and the same movement that throws the switch.

In the drawings, Figure l is a top plan view of a split switch having my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a top plan of the leeking device on a larger scale. Fig. l is an elevation of the same, partly broken away. Fig. 5 is a section on line c y, Fig. 3; and Fig. 6 is a section on line z, Fig. 4.

The same reference-letters are used in all the figures.

To the ties A are fastened the Iixed rails B, and the movable rails B of the switch rest upon the ties or upon plates a, supported thereby, as usual, The points of the movable rails are united by a connecting-rod C, which may be in one piece, but is preferably composed of three parts, the end piece C', to which the rails Ii are fastened, being lapped over the middle piece for the sake of getting it and the locking device as low as possible. The movement of the connecting-rod carries the movable rails Il to one side or the other in the usual manner.

Serial No. 311,112. (No medeld To the connecting-rml is applied the locking device, which is secured to a suitable foundation. It consists of a base-plate I), supporting two upright parallel flanges or plates E, between which the rod C is iitted to slide, and in the upper part of which, near their ends, are pivoted two pawls or dogs F, secured to shafts f. Pressing on top of each dog is a weight or a leaf-spring G, one end of which is fastened to a block ll, secured between the plates E above the rod C. In the top edge of the rod C are eut two notches c, preferably having their adjacent faces almost vertical and their other faces inclined, as shown. 'lhe notches may, however, be of any desired shape, provided they afford a good hold for the dogs F. They are so located that when the rod (l is moved to the left the right-hand dog F will be thrown by its spring or weight down into the right-hand notch c, as shown in Fig. l, thereby locking the rod against all movement toward the right; but when released and moved to the right then the left-hand dog will lock it by engaging with its notch. The rod O is aetnated by a rod I, which slides loosely through lugs c', projecting from one side of the rod C. Between the lugs the rod I is preferably square, as shown, in order to be guided between one of the plates E and two uprights K, erected on the base-plate D near each end of the plate E. The uprights are united to the plate by bolts 7L', which pass through spacing-blocks K above the rod I. The shouldered ends of the "squared portion of the rod I strike the lugs e when the rod I is moved, and thereby cause the connecting-rod C to move. The rod I is connected with the switch stand or tower in the usual manner.

In order to raise the locking-dog F and allow the rod G to move, each shaft f extends over the rod I, and attached to it is a rock arm or lever F. To the rod I is secured a bar L, lying above the rock-arms F. It is carried back and forth with the rod I and is fastened te a support L. The movement of these parts is limited by the space the split rails have to move, and the notches cut in rod O correspond with the amount of said movement. The length of the bar L is such that when the rod I is at the end of its stroke ICO the end of the bar L has passed over and slightly away from the end of the rock-arm F', allowing the arm to rise and the doe; I" to fall, as shown in Figs. si and 5; but when the rod I is moved back the bar L strikes the rock-arm and turns it down, thereby raising the dog F and unlocking the connecting-rod C. In order to allow this action to take piave before the rod (t is moved, the shouldered portion of the rod I is made shorter than the space between the lugs e on the rod as seen at the right of Fig'. 5. This permits the rod I to have a limited play independent of the rod (l, enough to cause the bar L to throw down the rock-arm before the lug e on rod C is struck by the shoulder The under surface of the bar L is itat and acts to hohl the dogs up out of their notches in the rod U until the rod has reached the eXtreme ot' its movement in either direction.

It will thus be seen that the throwing over of the switch-lever operates, first, to unlock the connecting-rod (i, and, second, to move said rod and the point-rails attached thereto, the rod being automatically locked when the limit of its movement is reached.

The device operates equally well in either direction of movement of the rod Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination, with the movable rails oi' a switch, oi' a rod emmeetirnr the same, a pair ot' dogs adapted, respectively, to engage with and loek the rod when the switch is in either of its positions, and a rod lying transversely of the track for imparting' motion to the connecting-rod, havi ug a loose connection therewith and carrying;` a bar rigidly attached thereto, and adapted to engage with and release the locking-dog before the switch is moved, substantially as described.

The combination, with the movable rails ot a switch, ot' a rod C, connecting the same and having,r the notches e and lugs e', the dogs F, adapted to engage with the notches c and provided with rock-arms F', the rod I, playingI i'reely through the lugs e and having shoulders z', and the bar L, carried by the rod I and adapted to engage with the rockarnls 11", substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence ot two witnesses.

JOI IN ALLAN .NIUNIGI ll.

`\\"itnesses:

A W. J. LUKE,

J. N. ionnEN. 

